Kiss of Death
by supernaturalsam
Summary: FINISHED!When Nancy and the Hardys decide to throw a Halloween party in a haunted, abandoned mansion, they get more than they bargained for! PLEASE REVIEW!
1. The Mansion

Kiss of Death  
  
Nancy Drew looked up at the massive mansion and rubbed the back of her neck. "Are we sure that we wanna go through with this?" she asked.   
  
She looked to see Frank and Joe Hardy smiling at her.  
  
"Come on, Nan. Don't tell me you're scared." Joe said.  
  
Nancy shook her head. "No, I'm not scared. I was just worried about you, Joe." Nancy smiled back at him.  
  
Joe gave a sarcastic chuckle. "Funny."  
  
"Yeah, I thought so." Nancy turned serious. "You do know that this is the most haunted house in River Heights, right?"  
  
"Yeah, so?" Joe asked.  
  
"So?" Nancy asked. "You two are talking about throwing a huge Halloween Masquerade party here. You really think that people are going to go for it?"  
  
"Nancy, it's a party. What do you think?" Joe asked.  
  
"He's right Nancy. Which scares me to say." Frank said. "People are tired of these little childish Halloween parties every year. They want something to scare the crap out of them."  
  
All three of them glanced back up at the house. Nancy sighed. "Well, this will certainly do the job."  
  
They walked up the walkway to the house and stopped at the door. Nancy pulled out the keys to the house that she got from the real estate agent who was desperately trying to to sell the old mansion.   
  
Nancy unlocked the door and and they walked inside, flashlights at the ready. Frank found a light switch and turned the lights on. They turned off their flashlights and looked around.  
  
Nancy's eyes darted around the living room. She shrugs. "The bright said of this: we don;t have to go out and buy fake cheap-looking cobwebs. This place already comes complete with them."  
  
"Let's go exploring." Joe said and led the way to the next room.  
  
They didn't feel the eyes watching them as they left the room. 


	2. Hannah's story

Disclaimer: I do not own Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys, or any of the characters asssociated with these books. This is merely for entertainment and something that I enjoy doing in my free time.  
  
A few hours later, they had the mansion cleaned up as much as they wanted. They left the mansion, being careful to lock it up, to keep out any unwanted visitors and vandals. They then headed over to Nancy's house where Hannah had lasagna, breadsticks, and a fresh salad ready for them.  
  
"So, are you excited about the party?" She asked them as the boys sat down at the table. Nancy moved over to get them something to drink.  
  
"About as excited as you can be about a haunted house." Nancy answered.  
  
"Personally, I think Nancy's a little scared." Joe said.  
  
Nancy shot Joe an innocent look. "If I remember correctly, I'm not the one who threw a fit when they saw a harmless baby spider."  
  
"Hey, you don't know if that spider was harmless or not. And besides, it looked big when I glaned at it." Joe said defensively. Nancy rolled her eyes and brought the drinks to the table.  
  
"All right, children." Frank said, smiling. "So what's the story with this old mansion anyway?"  
  
"Well, you would have to ask Hannah. She was here when it happened." Nancy said.  
  
All three pairs of eyes glanced at Hannah. "Oh, some now. You don't want to hear a story from me." she said.  
  
"Sure we do, Hannah." Joe said.  
  
Hannah looked around the table at their expectant faces and sighed. She sat down between Nancy and Joe and took a swallow of her iced tea.  
  
"Well, it happened about twenty-five years ago. A man by the name of Ernest Calloway was a very prominet businessman here in River Heights. He made his money in the construction field. I knew him growing up and he always had this dream to remodel this extravagant home in the middle of River Heights. And that's all we thought it was--a dream.   
  
"But as soon as he established himself as a respectable businessman, he made his dream come true. He bought the old mansion that you kids are having you Halloween party. It was built about one hundred years ago. And the man that originally built it was considered by many to be crazy. His name was Dunca Calloway. He was always keeping to himself, and if anyone did happen to see him, it was only at night. And, he also happened to be a vampire. At that time there were people disappearing left and right, so the finger immediately got pointed at him. So a mob was formed and they imprisoned him in his home for eternity."  
  
Joe was laughing. "Vampires? You have got to be kidding me! I have now officially heard everything there is to be heard."  
  
"No, I'm not kidding. People really believed in that back then. They were extremely superstitious. So, anyway, when Ernest remodeled the manion, they say that he let out Duncan's spirit. Ernest didn't believe it, but he should have. Ernest was found dead a couple of days after completion of the house--and his body was completely drained of blood." Hannah said.  
  
"That could have been easily done by someone who had heard of the story." Joe said.  
  
"You're very right, Joe." Hannah said. "But on the other hand..." She let the sentence dangle.  
  
"Well, I guess we won't have to find a Dracula. We have one of our very own in the mansion." Joe said.  
  
"Now do you believe me when I say the place is haunted?" Nancy asked Joe.  
  
"Don't tell me that you believe in this kind of stuff, Nancy." Joe said, raising his eyebrows at her.  
  
"I believe in anything until I am proven wrong." Nancy said.  
  
Frank smiled at his brother. "I'm with her, Joe. With the work that we do, we have to be open to anything."  
  
"Even the supernatural?" Joe asked.  
  
"Even the supernatural." Frank said. 


	3. New Stranger in Town

Disclaimer: I do not own Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys, or any of the other characters associated with the books. This is merely for entertainment and somthing that I enjoy to do in my free time.  
  
Author's Note: In the second chapter I made a mistake. Duncan't last name is not Calloway. It is, in fact, Thornhart. I am sorry for the mistake and the confusion this may cause.  
  
The next day Nancy, Frank, and Joe got up early and headed over the the mansion to decorate. The party was still a couple of days away, but they wanted to make sure that they had everything done in plenty of time. Bess Marvin and George Fayne were waiting for them when they got there.   
  
"Bess, I'm surprised to see you here." Joe said as he got out of the car. "You do know this place is haunted, right?"  
  
"Yes, I do. But I'm not worried. What can possibly happen in the daytime?" Bess asked.  
  
"If you ask my brother and Nancy that question, they'll probably say a lot." Joe answered.  
  
"What does that mean?" Bess asked, already getting impatient with Joe.  
  
"He just doesn't understand why Frank and I believe in the supernatural." Nancy explained. She turned to George. "Did you get the decorations?"  
  
"Most of them. There are still a few things that we have to get that I didn't have time for yesterday." George said, popping her trunk. "Help yourselves."  
  
They each grabbed an armload of decorations and brought them up to the house. Nancy unlocked the door and they set everything down in the living room.  
  
"I'll go grab the last little bit." Nancy said. "Why don't you start to divide everything up so we'll know where it's going?"   
  
Nancy walked back out to George's car. She reached in to grab the last of the decorations when she felt someone behind her. She closed the trunk and turned and let out a loud gasp. She found herself staring into the most beautiful pair of aqua eyes she had ever seen.  
  
She put her hand on her chest and laughed nervously. "Hi. Can I help you?"  
  
The guy smiled at her. "I was just curious, that's all. I'm Aiden. This was my uncle's home," he said and held out his hand.   
  
Nancy shook it. "Oh, well, I'm Nancy." She found herself not being able to stop staring at him. He was tall and very handsome, with dark, tousled hair, and strong build. Aiden cleared his throat and Nancy saw she was still clutching his hand. "Oh, sorry." She said removing her hand slowly. "So, which uncle do you belong to?"  
  
"Ernest. He was my dad's brother." He glanced up at the house. "So, you planning on a big party?"  
  
"How did you know we were having a party?" Nancy asked. He looked down at the decorations she was holding. "Oh, right. Yeah, we hope so. You should come."  
  
"I think I may have to." He said, smiling at her. "Uh, do you need help with anything?"  
  
Nancy smiled back at him. "We can use any help that we can get."  
  
"Nancy!"  
  
She looked up to see Frank walking towards her. "You okay?" he asked when he reached her.  
  
Nancy nodded. "I'm great. I was just talking to Aiden. His uncle was Ernest Calloway."  
  
"Nice to meet you." Frank said holding out his hand to Aiden. "I'm Frank Hardy."  
  
"Nice to meet you too." Aiden said, shaking it firmly. "I was just offering Nancy some help."  
  
Frank looked at Nancy to see her smiling at Aiden and felt a pang of jealousy. Snap out of it, Hardy, he said to himself.  
  
Frank forced a smile. "Sure.Come on in. At the rate we're going, we'll be here all day long."  
  
They walked back to the house to find George going through decorations, while Joe flirted with Bess.  
  
"Guys, I'd like you te meet Aiden. His uncle use to own the house." Nancy said.  
  
They each said their hellos and got back to work. Nancy gave Aiden some things that he could do and soon they became engrossed in their work. Nancy and Aiden were working in the foyer. She was standing on the ladder, hanging decorations at various places when she felt the ladder start to wobble. She tried to steady herself, but it was too late. She let out a cry as the ladder gave and she started falling to the ground. She was shocked when she didn't land on the ground, instead, falling into a pair of strong arms. She looked to see Aiden looking at her.  
  
"Nancy, what happened?" Frank asked as he ran into the room. He felt another pang of jealousy when he saw her in Aiden's arms.  
  
Aiden put her down on the ground. "I was trying to hang up some decorations when I felt the ladder give. Luckliy, Aiden was there to catch me before I hit the ground." She explained.  
  
Joe went over to examine the broken ladder.  
  
"Do you see anything?" Frank asked.  
  
"It looks like it was rigged to fall when the right amount of preesure was applied to it." Joe said.  
  
Nancy went over to inspect it. "But how could that be? No one else has been in the house."  
  
"I don't know. I think we need to be extra careful and make sure we check everything before we use it." Frank said, glancing over at Aiden.  
  
"You don't really think that it could be--" Bess began.  
  
"Ghosts?" Joe chuckled and got up from the floor.   
  
"What? They say this place is haunted! Maybe it's true." Bess protested.  
  
"Bess, there is no such thing as ghosts." George said. "Lighten up a bit."  
  
"I think we should call it a day. We've still got a couple of days until the party." Frank said.   
  
"I agree. I know I could use a bite to eat." Joe said.   
  
"You could always use a bite to eat." Bess said.  
  
"Hey, look who's talking!" Joe retorted.  
  
Bess stuck out her tongue in response.  
  
Nancy turned to Aiden as the others left the room. "So, you wanna come with us?"  
  
"Uh, actually, I was hoping that I could take you out myself." Aiden said. "I mean, if that's all right."  
  
"Uh--" Nancy scratched her head and looked in the direction where the other had left.  
  
"You don't have to if you don't want to. I would totaly understand since we just met today and all." Aiden said.  
  
Nancy smiled at him. "Sure. I would love to." 


	4. A Date and A Murder

Disclaimer: I do not own Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys, or any characters associated with these books. I am merely doing this for entertainment and it is something that I enjoy doing in my free time.  
  
Please Review!!!  
  
"I still can't believe Nancy went out with him." Frank muttered an hour later.  
  
"Lighten up, Frank. She is a big girl. She can make her own choices." Joe said as he ate a slice of chocolate cake.  
  
"She just met him today. She's usually not like that." Frank said as he poked at his food.  
  
Am I sensing a bit of jealousy, Frank?" George teased.  
  
"What?" Frank shook his head but couldn't hide the red creeping up on his cheeks. "It's just not like her."  
  
"Look, she broke up with Ned a couple of months ago. She hasn't had any dates since then. Maybe this is good for her." Bess explained.  
  
"I understand that it was hard for her when Ned broke it off with her. And I support her going out and dating. It's just--" he stopped.  
  
"Just what?" George asked.  
  
"I don't trust that guy--Aiden. My instincts are telling me that he's bad news." Frank said.  
  
"You think any guy who shows interest in Nancy is bad news." Joe teased.  
  
Frank shot him a look and decided to remain silent. Yes, he did like Nancy. You could even go as far and say that he loved her. And it did hurt him that another guy was showing interest in her especially when he was standing right there. Waiting.   
  
"So, did you grow up in River Heights?" Aiden asked as he and Nancy were eating ice cream. They were sitting on a bench in River Heights Park on a cool autumn night.  
  
"Yep. Born and raised here." Nancy said as she took a bite of her chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream. "What about you?"  
  
"I grew up in Pennsylvania. I actually just came here about a week ago. I wanted to see where my uncle grew up since he died when I was a baby. My father always spoke very highly of him."  
  
"What do you do in Pennsylvania?" Nancy asked.  
  
"I'm studying history in college right now. After that, I plan to teach." He smiled at Nancy. "What about you?"  
  
Nancy hesitated at first. She was real wary when it came to new people, but for some reason she wanted Aiden to know about her. "Well, I'm pretty well-known in these parts. Actually across the country and around the world." Nancy smiled when she saw Aiden's confused look. "I'm a detective--amatuer detective. I help out people whenever they need it. Actually, so are Frank and Joe."  
  
"Really?" he asked, intrigued.  
  
Nancy shrugged. "I enjoy doing it. I love a good mystery."  
  
"So are you and Frank close?" Aiden asked.  
  
"About as close as you can get. I trust him with my life." Nancy said.  
  
"Are you involved?" Aiden asked quietly.  
  
Nancy gave a small smile. "No. I mean, the chemistry has always been there. We just haven't done much about it."  
  
Aiden let out a sigh of relief. "So what's his deal? I saw him glance my way a few times today. Especially around the time the ladder fell."  
  
"Frank's just...cautious around new people. But he really is an easy-going guy. He just has to get to know you." She glanced at her watch. "I better get going. We have a busy day ahead of us tomorrow."  
  
"Yeah, it is getting kind of late. So, I'll see you tomorrow?" he asked.  
  
"Sure. If you're ready to work your butt off." Nancy said.  
  
"I'll get by. You'll be there." Aiden leaned forward and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Sweet dreams, Nancy."  
  
Nancy smiled to herself as Aiden walked into the darkness.  
  
Nancy awoke a few hours later to a ringing phone. She looked at her clock to see it was three in the morning. She picked up the phone.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Nancy, did I wake you?" Frank asked.  
  
"It's three in the morning. What do you think?" Nancy asked sarcastically.  
  
"Sorry. I just thought that you should know there's been a murder." Frank said.  
  
Nancy was suddenly wide-awake. "What? Where?"  
  
"I can't tell you a definite time. But she was found at the docks." He explained.  
  
What Frank said next completely stunned her.  
  
"And guess what? Her body was completely drained of blood." 


	5. Frank's Accusation

Disclaimer: I do not own Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys, or any of the other characters associated with these books. This is merely for entertainment and something that I enjoy doing in my free time.  
  
A/N: Thank you so much for the reviews that you are giving me. They are very encouraging especially since I was very nervous when I first started this story. I wasn't sure how you would respond to it. But you have all accepted it and it makes me very excited as I put up each chapter! Thank you!  
  
Nancy arrived at the docks in ten minutes flat. She was met by Detective Phillips, Frank and Joe.  
  
"Did you find anything else?" Nancy asked, breathlessly.  
  
"Not yet." Phillips answered.  
  
"When did this happen? What exactly happened?" Nancy asked.  
  
"We're still not exactly sure when it happened. Coroner say an hour, maybe two hours ago. As for your second question, her body was drained of blood--completely." Phillips explained.  
  
"Drained? How was it drained?" She asked.  
  
Frank spoke up. "She had two bite marks on her neck and no signs of any other wounds."   
  
Nancy stared at Frank. "You're kidding me, right?"  
  
Frank shook his head. "I wish I were."  
  
Nancy glanced over to see Joe staring at the ground.  
  
"How did you two find out about it?" she asked Joe.  
  
Joe looked up at her. "I couldn't sleep...I guess it was the third chili dog I ate that was keeping me up. Anyway, I was watching TV and channel surfing when I saw the news bulletin come on. I woke up Frank and decided that we should call you."  
  
Nancy was confused. "Why wake me up and temm me about this? I could have easily watched the news in the morning and found out about this."  
  
Detective Phillips looked at Nancy. "Frank told us of one possible suspect. Someone that you just met today."  
  
"Who? Aiden?" She looked at Frank. He was now staring at the ground and refused to look at her.  
  
"I just said that he might have been someone of interest." He said quietly. He hated doing this to Nancy.  
  
"Why? Because he just happened to come to town last week?" Nancy asked angrily.  
  
"I didn't say that he was responsible for this. I just said he might be someone of interest." he explained.  
  
"Do you have proof?" Nancy asked.  
  
"Instinct." Frank answered.  
  
Nancy let out a long breath. "Look, it is too early in the morning to be arguing about this. I'm going back home and gettimg some sleep." Nancy turned to Phillips. "Let me know if anything else comes up, please."  
  
"Of course." Phillips said. He moved over to one of his officers.  
  
Nancy started for her car.   
  
"Nancy, wait!" Frank said. Nancy turned to look at him. "I didn't mean to upset you. You have to believe me."  
  
"Frank, I don't have to do anything, and I don't want to deal with this right now. I'll talk to you later." Nancy said. She got into her car and drove away without another word.  
  
As Frank watched her drive away, he had never felt so disgusted with himself.  
  
Nancy awoke the next morning to the smell of Hannah's homemade blueberry muffins.  
  
"Morning, Hannah!" she said as she entered the kitchen.  
  
"Good morning, Nancy! Did you sleep well?" she asked.  
  
Nancy shrugged. "Pretty well considering I got pulled out of bed early this morning."  
  
"You went to see about that murder, didn't you?" Hannah asked suspiciously.  
  
"You know about it?" Nancy asked.  
  
"It's all over the news and the headline in the paper this morning." Hannah explained.  
  
Nancy grabbed a muffin and sat down at the bar. "Hannah, can I ask you a question."  
  
"Sure. Maybe I can give you an answer." She leaned across the bar.  
  
"Your friend that died years ago--Ernest--did he have any brothers or sisters?" Nancy asked.  
  
"No, Ernest was an only child." Hannah frowned at her. "Why do you ask?"  
  
"No reason." She stood up from the bar. "I have to head over to the mansion. I'll see you later." Nancy kissed Hannah on the forehead and left the kitchen.  
  
One thought stayed with her as she drove to the mansion.  
  
Aiden had lied to her. 


	6. Father and Son

Disclaimer: I do not own Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys, or any of the characters associated with these books. This is merely for entertainment and something that I enjoy to do in my free time.  
  
Aiden arrived at the mansion early before anyone else showed up. He needed to be alone to collect his thoughts. He carefully looked around to make sure no one was watching him. He unlocked the door and stepped inside.  
  
"Father!" he called out. He took off his jacket and set it down in the parlor. "It's safe. No one's here but us."  
  
His father appeared before him. "You were out late last night."   
  
"I know. I met a girl today." He smiled at the memory of Nancy.  
  
"Which one was it?" his father asked. "I saw three of them in here."  
  
"The reddish-blonde. Nancy." Aiden said.  
  
His father smiled. "Yes, I liked her especially. Very beautiful. Innocent."  
  
"I think she may actually be the one." he said. Then his mood changed. "You were out last night, weren't you, Father?"  
  
"I went out for a little snack." his father said.  
  
"You went out!" Aiden cried. "You know you are not supposed to leave this house!"   
  
"I got hungry! You can't expect me to live on what you bring me!" he father said angrily.  
  
"I am trying to protect you." Aiden said and walked around the room, his father watching him the whole time.  
  
"I don't need protection!"  
  
"What if someone saw you?" Aiden asked. "Do you know what you are risking?" He didin't wait for his father to answer. "A lot."  
  
His father reached out, grabbed Aiden by the throat, and pushed him hard against the wall. "You will not disrespect me! I am your father! Do you understand me?" he roared, lifting Aiden up off the ground.  
  
Aiden nodded. "Yes." he wheezed.  
  
"Good." He let Aiden go and he fell to the ground, gasping for air.  
  
His father started to walk away. He turned to look at Aiden. "Besides, I survived what they did to me one hundred years ago. And I'll survive now."  
  
Duncan Thornhart smiled at his son. "Now go. You have work to do."  
  
Work was in full swing when Nancy evetually reached the mansion. Her mind was still reeling from what Hannah had told her.  
  
"Ernest was an only child."  
  
Nancy walked into the mansion and found Frank in the parlor talking with the deejay. He looked up at her.  
  
"Excuse me." He said to the deejay and walked over to her.  
  
"Hey." he said quietly.  
  
"Hey." Nancy said.  
  
"Look, I want to apologize--" Frank began.  
  
Nancy held up a hand. "You don't have to. You were right to go with your instincts." She lowered her voice. "Is Aiden here yet?"  
  
Frank shook his head.  
  
Nancy grabbed his arm and pulled him to a corner of the room. "I don't want you to say anything to the others right now, but I found out that Aiden was lying about something."  
  
"What?" Frank asked.  
  
"I asked Hannah if Ernest had any siblings, and guess what?"  
  
"He was an only child." Frank answered.  
  
"Right. So that means Aiden lied for some reason. And I want to know why." Nancy said.  
  
"Just be careful, Nan." Frank said as Aiden walked through the door.  
  
"Act casual." Nancy whispered. She looked up at Aiden. "Hey!"  
  
"Hey." He said and kissed her on the cheek. Nancy could sense Frank tensing.  
  
"Well, we better get back to work." Nancy nudged Aiden in front of her and glanced quickly at Frank. "We'll head to the kitchen and start getting some of the snacks ready."  
  
Nancy led him to the kitchen. She went to the refrigerator and grabbed some things that she needed.  
  
"You've got this placelooking great." Aiden said admiringly.  
  
"Thanks, but this is really a team effort." Nancy said.  
  
"Are you okay?" he asked curiously.  
  
Nancy nodded. "Yeah. I just got up a little too early this morning. I guess I'm just getting stressed out." She lied.  
  
Nancy set out the stuff to make finger sandwiches. "Could you get those loaves of bread that I have in the pantry?"  
  
"Sure." Aiden said. He grabbed the bread and brought them over to the table where she was sitting. He sat down across from her.  
  
"So, did you hear about the murder last night?" she asked casually.  
  
Aiden looked shocked. "No! What happened?"  
  
"They found a girl dead this morning at the docks. They said that she was completely drained of blood." Nancy looked up at Aiden to see his reaction. She could swear that he had faltered for a moment, but he quickly recovered.  
  
"Drained of blood? That's weird." He said.  
  
"Yeah and she had two bite marks on her neck."   
  
Aiden laughed. "You're saying a vampire did this? How can that be? There's no such thing."  
  
"You sound like Joe now." Nancy said.  
  
"You don't believe in them, do you?" Aiden asked.  
  
"I believe in anything until it's proven otherwise." Nancy said.  
  
"I guess you have to with the kind of work you do." Aiden said.  
  
"That, and I'm a very open-minded person. I think that anything is possible and anything can exist." Nancy explained.  
  
Aiden smiled at her. "I can go along with that line of thinking."  
  
Frank came into the kitchen a couple of hours later. He put his hands on her shoulders. "Hey, we're going to break for lunch. You coming?"  
  
"Yeah. I really didn't get to eat much this morning." She looked at Aiden. "You're welcome to come if you want."  
  
"Nah. I think I'll go out and explore River Heights for a while. I'm getting a little stir-crazy sitting here." Aiden said and stood up.  
  
"Okay. Well, we'll meet you here in an hour." Nancy picked up her jacket and they all left the house. Aiden took off in one direction and Nancy and the others headed for her house. 


	7. Duncan

Disclaimer: I do not own Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys, or any of the characters associated with these books. This is merely for entertainment and something that I enjoy to do in my free time.  
  
A/N: Some of you have noticed that Aiden's father is a vampire. If you remember the beginning of the story Duncan Thornhart is the original owner of the house.  
  
Aiden doubled back to the house when he was sure the others were safely out of sight. He unlocked the door to the house and went down the the basement where Duncan was sitting and listening to classical music. Duncan had fixed it up beautifully. It was like another house hidden in an old neglectful one.  
  
"There's a murder all over the news. Are you responsible for it?" Aiden asked.  
  
"I told you I went out last night. No one saw me. In fact, you may want to look at your new love. She suspects you, along with that boyfriend of hers." Duncan said, smiling at his son.  
  
"He's not her boyfriend." Aiden said defensively. "How do you know they suspect me?"  
  
"I get very bored in here during the day. I can hear a lot of the conversations throughout the house. They were talking quietly but I could still here them." Duncan explained.  
  
"What did they say?" Aiden asked.  
  
"She knows that Ernest has no siblings. So that means she knows that you're lying to her. She wants to know why." Duncan said.  
  
"She can't find out why. Not yet." Aiden said. He kicked a chair across the room.  
  
"So you do like her." Duncan smiled.  
  
"That's what makes this hard. I don't want to have to hurt her." Aiden said, rubbing his neck.  
  
"Don't. Have you asked her to the party yet?" Duncan asked.  
  
"Not yet. I planned on doing that later." Aiden said.  
  
"Ask her. Soon. We'll go on as planned." He walked up to his son and took his face in his hands. "You will be happy, Aiden. Happier than I was. You'll have someone by your side."  
  
A/N: I am sorry the chapter is so short. I usually don't make them this short. I will do better next time. 


	8. The Invite

Disclaimer: I do not own Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys, or any of the other characters in these books. This is merely for entertainment and something that I enjoy to do in my free time.  
  
When Nancy and her friends finished the lunch that Hannah had made, she led them all to the den where they could figure out everything they still needed for the party.  
  
"Has everyone gotten their outfits?" Nancy asked as she sat down on her sofa.  
  
"Joe and I have gotten ours." Frank said.  
  
"So have I." Bess said.  
  
"I still need to go pick mine up. The shop had to do some alterations to my dress." George said.   
  
"I have to pick mine up too, so we'll go while the others head back to the mansion to finish up." Nancy said.  
  
"I think we can handle that." Frank said.  
  
"Great." Nancy said. Then she turned serious. "I found out something that you guys need to hear. I've already talked to Frank about it and we both agree it's something you need to be aware of. After that murder last night, Frank started to get suspicious of Aiden. Of course, I didn't want to hear anything about it. But i talked to Hannah this morning and now I'm starting to side with Frank. Aiden was lying when he said that Ernest was his uncle. Hannah said that Ernest was an only child."  
  
"Why would he lie?" George asked.  
  
"I don't know. But I'm hoping to find out." Nancy said.  
  
"Did he murder that girl?" Bess asked.  
  
Nancy sighed. "Again, I don't know."  
  
"Have you heard anything else about the murder?" George asked.  
  
Frank shook his head. "Phillips hasn't called us with anything yet."   
  
Nancy stood up. "We better get going. I told Aiden that we'd meet him back at the house in an hour."  
  
"What do we do about him?" Joe asked.  
  
"Just act natural for now. I don't think he even suspects that I know anything, so let's just keep it like that." Nancy said. "George and I will pick up our dresses and then meet you over there."  
  
When Frank, Joe, and Bess got to the house, Aiden was waiting for them in his car. He got out when they walked up to the house.  
  
"Where's Nancy?" He asked.  
  
"She had to go pick up her dress." Frank said as he unlocked the door.  
  
"Oh." He paused. "So she's coming back?"  
  
"Yeah. She'll be here soon." Frank said. "Joe, you and Bess finish up in the kitchen. Aiden, you can help me set up all th tables we need."  
  
Joe shot Frank a look and Frank sent him a look that said, I just want to talk to him.  
  
"Come on Bess. The sooner we get this done, the sooner we get to go home." Joe said as he led her into the kitchen.  
  
Frank went over to a closet where the tables were being stored.  
  
"So Nancy says that you just got into town." Frank said as he pulled out a table.  
  
Aiden reached in to help him. "That's right. I came to visit my family and to see where my uncle lived."   
  
"How long do you plan on staying?" Frank asked.  
  
"I'm not sure yet." Aiden said. "Look, I can tell that you don't trust me. Why don't you just come out and say it?"  
  
Frank turned to him. "Fine. I don't trust you."  
  
"May I ask why?" Aiden asked politely.  
  
"Because you just arrived in town and you happen to be gunning for my best friend. A friend that I would give my life for before I let anything happen to her. I don't want anything to happen to her. I don't want her hurt."  
  
"I'm not going to hurt her, Frank. I care about her. And it's obvious you care a lot more about her than you let on." Aiden said.  
  
"We decided to be friends and I respect that. It doesn't mean that I don't love her." Frank said.  
  
"I can see that." Aiden said.  
  
Frank looked him dead in the eye. "And if you do anything, and do I mean anything to hurt her, I will hunt you down and make sure no one ever finds out where your body is. Do you understand?"  
  
"I do." Aiden said. Then he turned his back on Frank. "She's lucky to have a friend like you. Not many people would do that."  
  
"I need to get some air. I'll be back." Frank said and went outside. He went to his car and sat on the hood. It wasn't long before he heard the front door open and the sound of footsteps approaching.  
  
"That was real smooth back there." Joe said as he sat beside his brother. "You okay?"  
  
"I know that wasn't my usual way of handling things, Joe, but I couldn't help it. He had to know what would happen if her hurt her." Frank explained.  
  
"Do you think he will hurt her?" Joe asked.  
  
Frank shrugged. "I don't know."  
  
"Well, like you said, he'll have to deal with you. And when it comes to Nancy, you are the last person I want to deal with." Joe patted him on the back.  
  
Frank smiled at his brother. "Thanks, Joe."  
  
Nancy arrived at the house with George a couple of hours later. She had barely gotten through the door when Aiden came up to her.  
  
"Hey." he said softly. "Can I talk to you?"  
  
"Sure." Nancy said and they walked to the parlor.  
  
Aiden closed the door and turned to her. "Your bodyguard had a talk with me."  
  
"Frank?" Nancy asked.  
  
"Yeah. He set me straight on a few things." Aiden said.  
  
"I'm sorry about that." Nancy said.  
  
Aiden held up a hand. "Don't be. You're lucky to have someone like that. But that's not why I wanted to talk to you."  
  
"Oh. What did you need to talk to me about?" Nancy asked.  
  
"Were you going with Frank to the party tomorrow night?" He asked.  
  
"We were going as a group. Why?" Nancy asked.  
  
"I was wondering if you would go with me." Aiden said.  
  
Nancy smiled. "I would love to."  
  
"Great!" Aiden said.   
  
"We better get back to work before they come looking for us." Nancy said and opened the door.  
  
Aiden smiled as she walked out the door.  
  
The house was finally done about nine that night. They all walked out of the house, tired.  
  
"I'm going home to get some sleep. I have to come back early tomorrow to make sure everything it set up." Nancy said, yawning.  
  
"Do you need help?" Frank asked.  
  
"Nah.I'll be fine." Nancy said.  
  
"See you tomorrow, Nan."Frank said and kissed her on the forehead.  
  
"Night." Nancy said and got into her car. Aiden walked up to her car. "I'll see you tomorrow, Nancy."  
  
"Good night, Aiden." He bent down and kissed her softly.  
  
She smiled as she drove off. 


	9. Suspicions

Disclaimer: I do not own Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys, or any of the characters associated with these books. This is merely for entertainment and something that I enjoy to do in my free time.  
  
"I think Frank suspects something." Aiden said to his father, later when they were in the house together.  
  
"Don't worry about him." Duncan told his son."He's just a problem that needs to be rectified."  
  
"I won't have you hurting anyone else, Father." Aiden said.  
  
"My son, I dont have to hurt him. What time was Nancy coming over tomorrow?" Duncan asked.  
  
"Some time around one." Aiden said.  
  
Duncan clasped his hands together. "Perfect. Then you will come up and meet her. It will be too risky during the party. When she gets here, you will bring her to me and then go on and act as if nothing is wrong." Duncan explained.  
  
"You can't hurt her." Aiden said.  
  
"I will only ease her into her new life." Duncan smiled.  
  
Frank and Joe got a call from Detective Phillips around ten the next morning.   
  
"I think we may have a break. I couldn't find Nancy, so I thought maybe you two would like to know." Phillips said, after Frank answered the phone.  
  
"She's setting up for the party. It's tonight." Frank said. "What have you got for us?"  
  
"We may have a witness. A fisherman saw the girl with a man before she was murdered and got a good look at him. He's working with a sketch artist now." Phillips explained.  
  
"Can you send us a copy when you get one?" Frank asked.  
  
"Sure thing. There is something else that I should tell you. We ran this murder through the database and came up with some hits. We don't think this is the first time that this has happened. If that's the case, then we're dealing with a serial killer." Phillips said grimly.  
  
Frank lost his breath for a second.   
  
"Is there something that you may know, Mr. Hardy?" Detective Phillips asked.  
  
"Get me the sketch first and I'll let you know." Frank said and hung up the phone. He turned to Joe. "That was Phillips. He said they have a witness and they're getting a sketch. He'll send one to us as soon as he can."  
  
"Should we call Nancy?" Joe asked.  
  
Frank hesitated. "She has a lot to deal with right now. Let's see what the sketch looks like first."  
  
Silently, he prayed that it wasn't Aiden who was responsible.  
  
Nancy arrived at the house a little before one. She went ahead and brought her dress so she wouldn't have to leave again. She started by going through the downstairs are and straightening up just a bit. She was moving through the living room when she heard footsteps.  
  
"Is someone there?" She asked.  
  
She received no answer. She shrugged, blaming it on her imagination. She went into the kitchen to grab plates, spoons, forks, knives, and napkins when she heard a noise behind her. She tunred around and screamed, causing everything to fly up into the air.  
  
"Oh, God, Nancy! I'm sorry!" Aiden said as he stooped down to pick up the mess.  
  
"Aiden, what are you doing here?" Nancy asked, trying to catch her breath.  
  
"I thought you might have needed some help." Aiden explained.   
  
"I said that I would be okay.But I appreciate you coming anyway." Nancy said as she stooped dpwn to help.   
  
"I wanted to show you something, too. I've been reading the research on this house and I found something that might interest you." Aiden said.  
  
"Oh." Nancy said. "Let me put this on the table first." She went into the dining room and set her items down. "All right. What did you want to show me?"  
  
"It's in the parlor. Come on." Aiden said. He led her to the parlor and closed the door. He then walked over to the fireplace and hit a spot on the wall. The wall next to the fireplace slid to reveal a hidden door.  
  
"How did you find that?" Nancy asked, amazed.  
  
"I found it in a book that was left to my family. It had everything that you needed to know about the house." Aiden explained.  
  
He nudged her forward. "Come on. You still have plenty of time. Let's go see what's in there."  
  
He led the way down the steps. It was dark and cold in the room.  
  
"Are you sure that we should be doing this, Aiden?" Nancy asked, trying to get her bearings.  
  
Just then, dim lights lit the room. Nancy had to blink in order to adjust to the sudden light in the room. She never heard the footsteps behind her.  
  
A strong hand clasped down over her mouth and an arm grabbed her, pinning her arms. Nancy struggled trying to get free. Finally, she stomped down on her captor's foot. He grunted in pain, but didn't let go.  
  
"Be still!" A harsh voice commanded.  
  
Nancy's eyes widened as she saw Aiden come at her with a syringe.  
  
"I'm sorry, Nancy." He whispered. "Please forgive me." He said and plunged the needle into her arm.  
  
His hurt face swam before her eyes as she was met by darkness.  
  
"You did well, my son." Duncan said as he lifted Nancy into his arms. "Now go get her dress and anything else she may have left up there. And make sure everything is set up for the party. We wouldn't want anyone to get suspicious."  
  
Duncan looked at her sleeping face and smiled."I'll take care of her." 


	10. Awakening

Disclaimer: You know the drill. I'm tired of typing it...  
  
Frank and Joe were finally able to get the sketch around noon. Frank's eyes widened when he saw the picture.  
  
"Joe, does this picture remind you of someone?" Frank asked his brother.  
  
Joe nodded. "It looks a lot like Aiden."  
  
"Exactly. Except the person in this sketch looks a little older." Frank said.  
  
"Should we tell Detective Phillips?" Joe asked.  
  
"He definitely needs to know. Maybe if he brings Aiden in for questioning, we can get some straight answers from him." Frank said.  
  
Joe made the call to Phillips. "You need to pick him up. And believe me, when you see him you'll swear it's the guy in the sketch."  
  
"I'm on it." Detective Phillips said and hung up the phone.  
  
"Let's ride down to the police station. I want to be there when they bring Aiden in." Frank said.  
  
They made it to the police station in ten minutes. They only had to wait fifteen minutes before Aiden was brought in. Detective Phillips had the brother wait out in the hall while they questioned Aiden.  
  
"You think he'll tell them anything?" Joe asked Frank.  
  
Frank stared at the door to the interrogation room. "I sure hope so."  
  
Nancy's head throbbed. She slowly opened her eyes and quickly closed them. She was lying on something soft and right now she didn't mind. She tried to remember what had happened and quickly opened her eyes again. Now she remembered. A needle was plunged into her arm and she had blacked out.  
  
"Aiden." She whispered fearfully.  
  
She sat up slowly to find that she was in a strange room that was lavishly decorated in red and golds.  
  
I don't remember this room, she thought to herself. Her eyes landed on the door across the room. She got off the bed and sluggishly made her way to it. She tried the knob to find that is was locked from the outside. She hit the door in frustration.  
  
"What is going on here?" She asked out loud. She them heard the sound of footsteps and quickly ran back to the bed. She pretended to be out of it when she heard a key in the lock.  
  
When the door opened Nancy held her breath. She heard the footstpes approach and the bed and stop. Then she felt a hand touch her face. Nancy jerked her eyes open and saw an unfamiliar face staring down at her. She jumped up in alarm.  
  
"Who are you?" She asked.  
  
The man smiled at her. "You don't recognize me?"  
  
"If I did, why would I ask you?" Nancy retorted.  
  
"Passion. He didn't tell me that you had passion." The man said.   
  
"You still didn't answer my question." Nancy said.  
  
"My name is Duncan Thornhart." Nancy's eyes flickered in recognition. "You do know who I am."  
  
Nancy shook her head. "No." She whispered. "It can't be." She got off the bed and backed away from him.  
  
"In the flesh." Duncan smiled at her.  
  
Nancy didn't want him to smile at her. He disgusted her.  
  
"Why am I here?" She asked a little more calmly.  
  
"To serve a purpose." Duncan answered.  
  
Nancy was confused. "Purpose? What purpose?"  
  
Duncan walked around the bed towards her. Nancy stepped back until she was against the wall. "You're going to give my son what he needs."  
  
"I don't understand." Nancy said.  
  
"I want Aiden to be very happy." Duncan said.  
  
"Aiden." Nancy gasped.  
  
Duncan chuckled. "You don't have to understand, my dear. You just have to do what I tell you and you'll be safe." Nancy cringed as he moved her hair off her neck. "Such a beautiful neck. Such a beaustiful girl. I think Aiden chose right this time."  
  
"This time? What do you mean?" Nancy asked.  
  
"My son has brought home many girls. But none as beautiful and passionate as you." Duncan explained. He was still looking at her neck hungrily.  
  
Nancy swallowed hard. "Is it true what they say about you? That you're a...vampire?"   
  
"What do you think." He smiled at her and finally looked her in the eyes.  
  
"Oh, God." She whispered.  
  
"I'll have you saying otherwise later." He turned his back to her. Nancy breathed a little easier. She then spied a vase on the table beside her. She reached over, grabbed it, and smashed it over Duncan's head. It barely fazed him.  
  
He shook the blow off. Nancy started for the door, but he grabbed her and turned her around to whisper in her ear.   
  
"That was a stupid move, Nancy. But I also have to give you credit. I've never had a woman fight as hard as you. But I will give you a warning. Try something like that again and it will be the last thing that you do. Understand?"  
  
Nancy nodded.  
  
"Good. Go put on your dress. I left it in the bathroom for you. And don't try anything funny. It really would be a shame for something to happen to one of your friends." He let her go and disappeared. But he immediatley reappearded in front of her. "And besides, I'll find you." 


	11. Aiden's Confession

Disclaimer: You know the drill.   
  
Detective Phillips came out of the interrogation room a few hours later and shook his head. "He's not telling us anything useful." He looked directly at Frank. "He says that he'll only talk to you."  
  
"Did he say why?" Frank asked.  
  
"Nope, and right now I'm going to have to let him go. We don't have anything we can use against him. He's never asked for a lawyer and there's really nothing to say that he is responsible for this." Phillips explained.  
  
Frank looked at his watch. "The party is about to get underway. Let him go. He's supposed to be taking Nancy to the party. I can keep an eye on him there."  
  
Phillips nodded and went back into the interrogation room. A couple of minutes later, Aiden walked out of the room.  
  
"You want to talk to me about something?" Frank asked him.  
  
Aiden looked at Joe. "I"ll only talk to you alone."  
  
Frank sighed and turned to Joe. "You go pick up Bess and George. I'll meet up with you at the party."  
  
Joe was reluctant to leave his brother. Frank grabbed Joe by the arm and pulled him to the side where they could talk. "Joe, this is the only way that we're gonna know what's going on. I'll be fine. Just go to the party and keep an eye on things."  
  
Joe hesitated, but knew that his brother was right. "I don't like this, Frank."  
  
"Neither do I, but if this is the only way we'll get information, then I'll take it." Frank said.  
  
Joe nodded and left the police station. Frank turned to Aiden. "Shall we?"  
  
Frank drove them back to the hotel room. As soon as they were settled in, Frank picked up the phone to call Nancy's cell.  
  
"You won't find her." Aiden said.  
  
Frank froze and slowly hung up the phone  
  
"That's why I needed to talk to you. I didn't want the police involved." Aiden said.  
  
Frank reached Aiden in two strides and slammed him up against the wall.  
  
"Where is she!?" He demanded.  
  
"She's safe...for now." Aiden said.  
  
"What do you mean, for now? Where is she!?" Frank yelled, pushing him into the wall.  
  
"She's in the mansion. Let me go and I'll explain everything to you." Aiden said, breathing hard.   
  
Frank stared at him for a moment longer and roughly let him go. He then walked to a chair and sat down.  
  
"All right. Talk." Frank said.  
  
"I lied to you when I first met you." Aiden began. "Ernest Calloway isn't my uncle."  
  
"Nancy found that out." Frank said quietly.  
  
"Do you know the story of the mansion?" Aiden asked.  
  
"What does a ghost story have to do with Nancy?" Frank asked.  
  
"When I explain it to you, you'll know. Do you know the story?" Aiden asked again.  
  
"Yes." Frank said impatiently.  
  
"Would you believe me when I say that I'm seventy-five years old?" Aiden asked.  
  
"Is this some kind of game?" Frank asked ,jumping up from his chair.  
  
"No. My father is the one you hear the stories about, except they're not stories. They're true--every one of them. My father is a vampire. He needs human blood to survive. When I was twenty-two, he turned me into one of him. I'm a vampire. Excpet I learned to control my urges." Aiden explained.  
  
Frank sank slowly back into his chair, shocked.  
  
"I thought vampires couldn't be out in the sun." Frank said, suspicious.  
  
Aiden gave a small smile. "Don't believe everything that you read and hear about us. Anyway, I don't feed on humans. I get animal blood from the butcher and survive on that. My father feeds strictly on humans. He's the one that killed that girl the other night. He's been after me for years tofind someone to settle down with. But I don't want to. I can't bear to bring someone into this nightmare. But he forced me to. If you go back for the past seventy-five years, if you follow our trail, you'll find one girl missing from every city that we visited. I would bring them home and they weren't good enough for him. So instead of letting them go, he would kill them."  
  
"How many are we talking about?" Frank asked, mortified.  
  
"I don't know." Aiden answered. "Maybe over one hundred. But now he's set his sights on Nancy."  
  
"Where is she?" Frank asked, afraid.  
  
"He made me bring her to him. He wants to make her my bride." Aiden explained.  
  
"You left her with him?!" Frank roared.  
  
"He told me to hide everything, to make it look like she had left."  
  
Frank got up threateningly.  
  
"I want to help her." Aiden pleaded. "But I can't get everyone involved. That's why I only wanted to talk to you. If he finds out that I told you, he'll be furious. And I'd hate to see what he'd do."  
  
"What do you want me to do?" Frank asked.  
  
"Let me go back first, by myself. I'll tell you how to get into the underground crypt. I need to explain to Nancy." Aiden said.  
  
"How long do you need?" Frank asked.  
  
"Give me a good hour." He looked Frank in the eyes. "I'll get her out of this alive. Even if I have to die to make it happen."   
  
"I hope that's what your prepared to give up. Because if anything does happen to Nancy, you won't have to worry about your father." He walked closer to Aiden. "You'll have to worry about me." 


	12. Nancy's Trust

Disclaimer: You know the drill  
  
When Nancy got into the bathroom, she was shaking. She looked in the mirror to see tears forming in her eyes. She was scared. And she should be. Duncan was maniacal. She put on the dress like Duncan had told her to. When she first saw her white, strapless dress she fell in love with it. But now as she looked at her reflection in the mirror, she wanted nothing to do with the dress.  
  
Duncan knocked on the door. "Are you ready?" he asked.  
  
Nancy wiped the tears from her eyes and tried to get control of herself. She couldn't let Duncan see her this vulnerable and weak. That would only please him. She took a deep breath a opened the door. She immediately felt sick to her stomach when she saw Duncan smiling at her.  
  
"Beautiful." He said softly. He circled around her, looking over every inch of her. Nancy followed him with her eyes. "Please walk over to the bed and sit down."  
  
Nancy reluctantly did as she was told. She watched as Duncan sat on the bed beside her.  
  
He brought up his hands and cupped her face. She recoiled from his touch.  
  
"Don't be scared, dear. You'll get accustomed to your new life." Duncan said.  
  
"What new life?" Nancy asked quietly.  
  
"You'll become one of us." Duncan said.  
  
"No. Never." Nancy said, horrified.  
  
"I don't think you're in a position to argue." He said, smiling evilly.  
  
Just then there was a knock at the door. Nancy started to scream. Duncan pushed her down on the bed and covered her mouth with his hand.   
  
The door opened and Nancy saw Aiden enter the room. She started to struggle under Duncan.  
  
"Let her go, Father." Aiden said quietly.  
  
Duncan slowly got up. Nancy sat up shakily.  
  
"My son." Duncan said, embracing Aiden. Aiden looked at Nancy. Duncan turned around so that he could see her as well. "You have made a wise decision, Aiden. This one has beauty, courage, and passion. You have done me proud."  
  
"I need to be alone with Nancy." Aiden said, still staring at Nancy.  
  
Duncan smiled at his son and nodded." Of course. I will go make the final preparations for the ceremony. He left the room and locked the door from the outside.  
  
Aiden walked up to Nancy. "Nancy--"  
  
Nancy jumped up from the bed and backed away from him. "Don't touch me. Don't even talk to me." she said fiercely.  
  
"I know that you're angry with me." Aiden said.  
  
"Angry?" She shook her head. "No, I've gotten past the point of anger. I'm furious with you."  
  
"I need you to listen to me. I need you to trust me." Aiden said softly.  
  
"Trust? That's a funny word coming from you." Nancy said.  
  
"I talked to Frank. He knows what's going on. We're working on a way to get you out of this mess." Aiden explained.  
  
"I wouldn't be in this mess if it weren't for you. You did this, Aiden." Nancy said, eyes blazing.  
  
"It was my father's idea. He's been pulling the strings all along." Aiden said.  
  
"You are a grown man, Aiden. Last time I checked, a grown man doesn't need his father to tell him how to live his life and make his decisions for him." Nancy said.  
  
"Will you just sit down and listen to me. We don't have much time. I want to explain everything to you." Aiden said.  
  
Nancy sighed and sat down on the bed. Aiden sat down beside her.  
  
"You already know about my father and how long he's been around River Heights. He's actually about 300 years old. He was born and lived most of his life in Ireland. He came over to America when he was about 225 years old and he met a woman named Katherine Boivier, my mother. She had me three years after they were married and he never bothered to tell her what he was. He couldn't bear to put his life onto her. He wanted her to live her life and enjoy every moment of it. He loved her more than even he could stand.  
  
"She died from pnuemonia when I was twenty years old. My father was a complete wreck. He kept blaming himself for it, thinking that maybe if he would have told her and turned her, she would be alive today. He didn't want to ever go through a loss again. I came home one night and I never even heard him. I woke up and I was a vampire, just like him."  
  
"What did you do?" Nancy asked.  
  
"I went ballistic. One day, I'm just a regular guy, working my way through school, and the next day, I'm a creature of the night. My father started hounding me about finding someone to sare my life with. He didn't want me to hurt like him when he lost my mother. That's why you're here. You're the first girl he's ever really liked." Aiden glanced at her. She could see pain etched all on his handsome face.  
  
"And if I choose not to do this?" Nancy asked quietly.  
  
"He won't let you have a choice. You either do it, or he'll kill you." Aiden explained simply.  
  
"But you said that you and Frank have a plan." Nancy said.  
  
"We do. Like I said, I won't let you live like me, Nancy. I care about you too much." Aiden gently carressed her cheek. She didn't pull away.  
  
"What do you need me to do?" Nancy asked quietly.  
  
"Just go along with it. You just have to trust that we'll get you out of this." Aiden said. A clock chimed in the room. Aiden looked up at it. "It's time for the ceremony." He took Nancy's hand and stood up. "You ready?"  
  
"As ready as I'm going to be." Nancy said.  
  
Aiden led her out of the room and down a small flight of stairs. They came to a room that was lavishly decorated with red roses and red and black candles.  
  
"He sure went to a lot of trouble for this." Nancy said wryly.  
  
"He's been getting it ready for a while now." Aiden said and squeezed her hand.  
  
"So where is he at? I want to get his over with." Nancy said.  
  
"Why, I'm right here." Duncan said from the staircase they just emerged from. "And I've brought you a special guest, Nancy."   
  
He pushed someone down the stairs in front of him.  
  
"Frank." Nancy said breathlessly. 


	13. The Ceremony

Disclaimer: You know the drill.  
  
"Frank!" Nancy said a little louder. She ran to him and fell down beside him. She moved the hair out if his face. "Are you okay?"  
  
"I should be asking you the same thing." Frank said. "Did he hurt you?"  
  
Nancy shook her head. "I'm okay." She said softly.  
  
"I'm sorry, Nan." Frank whispered and stroked her face.  
  
"Well, now that we've caught up, we can begin." Duncan appeared behind Nancy and grabbed her.  
  
Nancy started to struggle. "No! You can't make me do this!" She cried.  
  
Duncan laughed as he pushed her into Aiden's arms. "Of course I can." He walked over to Frank. "Because if you refuse to marry my son, then lover boy here dies." He grabbed Frank's hair and wrenched his head back.  
  
Nancy and Frank locked eyes. Frank saw the pain and turmoil running through her blue eyes. He gave her a slight nod, saying that he understood.  
  
Nancy collapsed in Adien's arms. "I'll do it." She whispered.  
  
"I didn't hear you, Nancy." Duncan said.  
  
"I'll do it." Nancy said louder.  
  
Duncan let go of Frank's hair. "That's what I wanted to hear." Duncan motioned to the other side of the room and a man came out of the shadows. "I think we're ready, Nicholas."  
  
Nicholas came over to stand in the middle of Nancy and Aiden. Nancy looked up at Aiden. "Trust me." He mouthed to her.  
  
Nancy gave a slight nod.  
  
Nicholas cleared his throat. "Let's begin. Dearly Departed, we are gathered here--"  
  
"No!" Aiden cried.  
  
Duncan looked over at his son in surprise, as did Nancy and Frank.  
  
"What is the meaning of this, Aiden?" Duncan demanded.  
  
"I can't do this, Father. I won't do this to Nancy." Aiden said.  
  
"But this is what you need, Aiden. You need someone by your side for all eternity. Not someone who will die like your mother. Not someone who will abandon you." Duncan explained.  
  
"I don't need anyone. I'm not like you, Father. I can't bring someone else into this life. I never thought of what you gave me as a gift. It has always been a curse to me. I will not allow myself to curse anyone." Aiden said. "Nancy, get over there by Frank."  
  
"I don't think so." Duncan said and grabbed Nancy again. "I will not let you make a foolish decision like this, Aiden."  
  
"I didn't think I ever got to make a decision for myself, Father. You always made them for me." Aiden said angrily. "Let Nancy go."  
  
"I won't let you do this, son." He said clutching Nancy tighter until she cried out in pain. "I won't let you make a mistake like I did. You need her."  
  
"I don't need her, Father!" Aiden yelled. "She was just an innocent bystander that you set your sights on. You're wanting this more than me. I was just fine until you demanded that I find someone."  
  
"You're obviously confused by this, Aiden. I will help you." Duncan said. He pushed Nancy's hair back to reveal her neck.  
  
"I don't think so, Duncan." Nancy said through clenched teeth. She stomped down on Duncan's right foot as hard as she could. He howled in pain and loosened his grip on her. She tore his arms away from her and turned around and kicked him in the stomach.  
  
Duncan fell to the ground. "That was your fatal mistake, Nancy!"  
  
"Nancy, run!" Aiden yelled. "Frank, get her out of here!"  
  
Nancy watched as Aiden attacked his father with wide eyes. "Come on, Nancy. We have to get out of here." Frank said, taking her hand. They ran to the door on the left side of the room. Frank threw it open as Nancy heard Duncan yelling at her.  
  
"Don't go to far, Nancy. We have some unfinished business!"  
  
Frank pushed her into the room and closed the door. "Run, Nancy!" he said. They ran down a hall and entered a room at the very end.  
  
"Do you hear that?" Nancy asked Frank after he had closed the door.  
  
Frank listened for a moment. "Yeah. Music."   
  
Nancy went to a door on the other side of the room and opened it. She poked her head out to see her party going in full swing.  
  
"It's the party, Frank." Nancy said.  
  
"Nancy, you have to get out there. Go find Joe and the girls and stay by them. I'll stay here in case Duncan shows up." Frank said.  
  
"Too late." Said a voice behind Frank. Nancy screamed as Duncan hit Frank over the head with a statue. Frank sank to the ground.  
  
Nancy started to sob. Duncan smiled as he walked towards her. Nancy opened the door and ran out into the party. She spied Joe's blond head and ran to him.  
  
"Joe! Joe!" She cried. She ran into his arms. "You have to help me!"  
  
"Nancy, what is it? What's wrong?" Joe asked, concern all over his face.  
  
"Joe, you have to listen to me and believe me. There's a vampire after me. Duncan Thornhart. He just hit Frank over the head and now he's after me." Nancy explained in a rush.  
  
"Oh, come on, Nancy." Joe said.  
  
"I don't have time for this, Joe." Nancy said impatiently.  
  
"Well, we can't attract attention." Joe said.  
  
"That's the last thing that we need." Nancy said.  
  
"Follow me." Joe said as he made his way to the kitchen.  
  
"I think there's been a change of plans." Duncan said. Joe turned around to see Duncan holding Nancy tightly in front of him.  
  
"Let her go, Duncan." Joe said calmly.  
  
"I don't think I can do that, Mr. Hardy. You see, I have plans for your beautiful friend here. Please join the other guests. I think it's time that they see the real Duncan Thornhart." Duncan said and disappeared with Nancy.  
  
Joe ran back out to the party to see Duncan reappear with Nancy on the balcony above the crowd.  
  
"Ladies and Gentlemen, allow me to introduce myself. I am Duncan Thornart." His voice boomed throughout the room.  
  
A collective gasp was heard.  
  
"Nancy!" Joe turned to see Bess and George beside him.  
  
"I welcome you to my home." Duncan smiled at the crowd. "And now, for the highlight of our evening."   
  
Duncan moved the hair from Nancy's neck.   
  
She could feel his hot breath on her. She never had time to react before he bit down on her, hard. She let out a painful gasp as he began to drain her blood.  
  
"Nancy!" Joe screamed.  
  
"No!" Joe heard from above. He looked up to see Aiden take a flying leap at Duncan and tackle him to the ground. Nancy fell from his arms and onto the floor painfully. Joe then saw Frank emerge from a room upstairs and make his way to Nancy.  
  
"Nancy! Oh, God, Nancy!" Frank said and cradled her in his arms. He checked for a pulse and found a very light one.  
  
"Frank." Nancy said weakly and slipped into unconciousness.  
  
"Somebody call an ambulance!" Frank screamed to no one in particular.  
  
He looked up to see Aiden standing above his weakened father. "You will never hurt anyone else again, Father." Aiden said. He grabbed a broken piece of wood and drove it into his father's chest. Duncan disappeared for the last time in a cloud of dust.  
  
"The ambulance is on it's way." Frank heard George shout.  
  
Joe ran up the stairs to his brother. "Check on Aiden." Frank said.  
  
Joe glanced to see Aiden crying on the floor. "You okay, man?"   
  
"I"ve never felt better." Aiden said. "I feel like I'm free now."  
  
Frank turned his attention to Nancy. She was extremely pale and barely breathing. "Come on, Nan. Hang in there. Help is on its way."   
  
And for the first time in a long time, he broke into tears as he heard the sirens in the distance. 


	14. Epilogue

Disclaimer: You know the drill.  
  
Frank stayed by Nancy's bedside until she finally awoke. She looked around groggily until she saw him beside her. She smiled weakly at him.  
  
"Hey." She said hoarsely.  
  
Frank beamed. "Hey. How are you feeling?"  
  
"Like an eighteen wheeler ran over me three times." Nancy joked.  
  
Frank chuckled. "You gave us quite a scare, Nan." He said quietly.  
  
"How long was I out?" She asked.  
  
"Three days. You lost a good bit of blood." Frank said.  
  
She reached up and touched the bandage on her neck. "So it really did happen." She said.  
  
"Yeah. Unfortunately." Frank said. "But the doctor says you'll be okay."  
  
She looked to see that Frank had a bandage around his head. "Are you okay?" She asked.  
  
"Yeah. Just had to get a few stitches. Duncan hit me pretty hard." Frank explained.  
  
"I won't be a--" Nancy began.  
  
Frank shook his head and smiled. "Sorry. You won't be living it up with the undead."  
  
Nancy nodded. "That's a relief." She said, grinning. "So, is Duncan dead?"  
  
"Yeah. Aiden killed him." Frank said.  
  
"How is Aiden?" Nancy asked quietly.  
  
Just then the door to Nancy's hospital room opened. Aiden stuck his head in.  
  
"You can ask him that yourself." Frank said. "Come on in, Aiden."  
  
Aiden came in with a bouquet of dasies. "I wanted to see how you were doing." He said to Nancy.  
  
"Doing good." Nancy said. "Thanks to you. I owe you my life."  
  
He held up the flowers to her. "I brought these for you. I know they can't begin to make up for what I put you through, but I thought it could be a start."  
  
"I don't blame you, Aiden." Nancy said.  
  
Aiden cleared a spot for the flowers. He then walked up to Nancy's bed.  
  
"I really am sorry, though." Aiden said, taking her hand.  
  
"Thank you. So, how are you?" Nancy asked.  
  
"Well, I'm still a vampire. But at least I know I can go on and live my life without having my father after me every second." Aiden said. "This is actually the happiest I've been in a long time."  
  
"That's great Aiden. I'm really sorry about what you had to do to get that happiness." Nancy said.  
  
Aiden shook his head. "I'm not. It was the only way. I get to live my life how I want to now. I just wanted to check on you." He looked up at Frank. "You've got a great guy there, Nancy. I hope that you know that."  
  
"I do." Nancy said, smiling.  
  
"Well, I better get going. I'm going back home and going back to school" Aiden said.  
  
"That's great." Nancy said.  
  
Aiden leaned down to kiss her on the cheek. He then turned to Frank and held out his hand. Frank stood up and grasped it.  
  
"Take good care of her, Frank." Aiden said.  
  
"I'll be sure to do that." Frank said. "Thank you for what you did."  
  
"Yes. Thank you." Nancy said.  
  
"You would have done the same." Aiden said. "Take care, Nancy."  
  
Aiden left the room. Frank turned to look at Nancy. She was smiling at him.  
  
Frank sat down in his chair and took Nancy's hand. They just sat in silence, looking at each other. 


	15. Author's Note

AUTHOR'S NOTE:  
  
Well, that's the end of it. I really hoped that you liked it, considering this was my first fanfic. Please leave reviews of the whole story and whether or not you think I'm a good writer or not. When I first wrote this story, I really just wanted to keep it to myself, because I didn't really think it was all that great. But you have shown me otherwise in your enthusiasm. I think that the reviews are a big help when you are writing a story. It lets you know what the readers want and how you can make your story better.But enough of this rambling. Just let me know if you would like future stories by me and I'mm get to work on my next one!  
  
Thanks,   
  
Stephanie 


End file.
